Posts Tagged ‘Bon Jovi’

Josh Doyle has been there, done it and has a case full of t-shirts. Selling a bucket load of albums, playing Glastonbury and Wembley Stadium, playing alongside artists like Robbie Williams, Bon Jovi and Elton John and opening the door for artists like Busted and the still popular McFly…not a bad list of achievements.

Not liking the way the label were pushing them, the band broke up. Now 10yrs after the Dum Dums split, front man Josh Doyle is still making music, a more ‘grown up/mature’ type of music, but the Dum Dums trademarks are still there.

Infectious melodies and great lyrics made all the more interesting by a charismatic personality, are now backed by not much more than an acoustic guitar. Below is his latest offering. With the recent revival of singer song writers there’s no reason why you shouldn’t add this guy to your music collection.

Now residing in Nashville, Josh has some live dates coming up the the US and is planning to tour the UK in the early part of 2012.

Hope you like

Matt.

More about Josh can be found these sites:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joshdoylemusic

Website: http://www.joshdoyle.com

It’s so clichéd it almost writes itself. My obsession with music began because of a girl. She was an older lady from the land of the ice and snow. Well, Middlesbrough but it may as well have been Scandinavia.

It was 1988. She was Michelle and 15. I was er, me and I was 8. Dad in a rare moment of coolness had borrowed the latest Bon Jovi album , New Jersey. I didn’t have a clue but Michelle wanted a copy. Being smitten and having recently discovered the merits of the wet t-shirt competition courtesy of the mechanic next door’s pervy calendars, I duly obliged. When I say I did the obliging, it was in actual fact “rarely cool Dad” that set up the compact disc to record to a C90. Dad did me proud that day and earned me unheard of kudos by my standards. I was, after all, still wearing a full football kit everyday. Yes, socks pulled up to the knees and shin pads.

Alas, due to our obligations to the law (both being underage) we decided it was best that nothing came of our (imaginary) relationship.

But from there rock n roll took over. My badminton racket became my Strat  – Tennis rackets in reality fail to provide a lifelike guitar neck when compared to an old skool Yonex Voltric 80.  My mirror was my audience and the neighbours the “man” that I was sticking two fingers up two. Albeit, when they weren’t looking.

I saw the Jovi for the first time years later in ’93 at Wembley arena, unknowingly the same concert that Matt talks about in “My first gig”* . Mum and Dad dutifully took me. During Bad Medicine, Mum did a dance that can only be described as a “bop” and my dad kind of “stood with rhythm” as Dads do.

The years have past since then and my tastes have changed. I’ve got snobbier and left the Jovi behind for grunge, thrash, prog rock, prog metal, black metal, blues and any number of sub genres. There is a legacy though. Whenever Livin on a Prayer comes on in a club, invariably you’ll find a 6’5” wookie playing the air talk box (details matter people) and attempting that impossible key change after the solo.

But I’m no less in love with music than when I first fell for her. Music marks the great and the odd in my collection of memories. For instance; leaving Princess Anne’s for the first time following my little girl being born, I had to make sure the right song was cued up for her to hear. It was massively important that she didn’t hear any old tripe like Shayne Ward’s god awful “If that’s ok”. After a falling out with the car seat, I was set. When newborn and mother were safely secured, ignition went on and Led Zep’s Immigrant Song sent us on our way. If I’m listening to Metallica’s Sad But True, I’m 18 again and playing along, smacking the bejesus out of mate Mart’s beat up white Fiesta taking us to the Cuckoo Pint in Stubbington or the long gone Swordfish at Hill Head.
As for the odd, well when I hear Tremor Christ by Pearl Jam I’m immediately taken back to my bedroom as a teenager where I was reading Rambo: 1st Blood when the Spin the Black Circle single came out with Tremor Christ on the B side. Random.

Summing up music’s spell, I finished writing this earlier as I’m out for a family meal. I’m trying to get the girls ready (a task akin to herding cats). Absentmindedly I shout “HEY HO” and get a 3 year old punk reply “LET’S GO”.

Gracie Ramone, I like that. Is it too late to change her name?

Graeme

*[edit- The Jovi gig was same, but different. You were Friday I were Sunday, you missed Ranvilles Ranger FC presentation and a chance to meet probly Darren Anderton or another Pompey great, I missed a (one of only 3) day of school . Matt]